Waterstop for expansion joints



1958 A. w. BAILEY 2,865,267

WATERSTOP FOR EXPANSION JOINTS Filed Aug. 21, 1956 INVENTOR. Azo/vzo MBA/LE) BY RIC/ EX WA 7'75, EDGEFTONA Nf/VE/VNY A [TUNA/5Y5 Unite This invention relates to improvements in the construc- Patent ,0

tion of roads, buildings andsimilarstructures embodying abutting concrete slabs and/or. walls,.and more specifically to waterstops and expansion joints therefor.

The invention further pertains to improvements in the structure of the waterstop disclosed in my Patent No. 2,316,660 entitled Flashing Strip, issued April 13, 1943.

In buildings constructed with concrete walls and floors, it is customary to cast the walls first and pour the floor section after the concrete walls have set. This practice produces a seam or lineal void at the junction of the floor and wall which permits permeation of water or the presence of moisture in the wall due to capillary attraction or hydrostatic pressure.

In road construction, separators or stops are set in the concrete forms to produce open scams or gaps for the reception of an expansion joint mastic. This practice is faulty since movement of one or more of the concrete slabs, due to the variable characteristics of the earth in the highway, will disrupt the mastic and permit water to seep through the seam, thus causing upheaval of the contiguous slabs when the subjacent earth is frozen.

The waterstop constituting the present invention not only eliminates the difficulties referred to above, but also safeguards the structure from fracture and ultimate disintegration.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a waterstop embodying a strand or a plurality of inter-connected strips of a flexible, water resistant plastic material such as Geon, polyvinyl chloride resin or the equivalence, configured with a central vertical web disposed in axial alignment in the gap or seam to facilitate closure thereof when the parts move relative to each other.

Another object of the invention is to provide a waterstop and expansion joint which is formed with a central vertical web mounted in the vertical plane of the gap or blank between contiguous concrete bodies and disposed to flex diagonally across the seam, thus bridging the gap and accommodating variations in the width thereof.

Further objects of the invention reside in the provision of a flexible waterstop which will resist deterioration, restrain the deleterious chemical action of the concrete Within which it is embedded, a waterstop and expansion joint which is economic of production and installation, a device which will withstand repeated flexure under independent movement of the contiguous parts of the structure, and a waterstop or seal which is designed to afford positive anchorage in the associated concrete bodies.

Other objects and advantages more or less ancillary to the foregoing, and the manner in which all the various objects are realized, will appear in the following description, which considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, set forth the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a fragmentary por- 2,865,267 Patented Dec. 23, 1958 tion of a wall of a building structure including the foundation, footing and basement floor illustrating the improved waterstop and expansion joint in place;

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the position of the stop after the floor slab has settled and moved away from the wall;

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of a strip of the proved waterstop and expansion joint;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through'a concrete road embodying the waterstop and expansion joint; and

Fig. 5 is a similarsectional view of the road of Fig. 4 after one of the slabs has moved vertically. i

Referring first to Fig. 1, the building structure embodies a footing or foundation 10 having a vertical concrete wall ll thereon and a concrete floor slab 12 cast normal thereto. The waterstop 13 of the present inven tion comprises a waterproof, flexible plastic strip, preferably formed of Geon, polyvinyl chloride resin although, other water resistant materials, such as rubber, may be used in substitution therefor. The strip, as illustrated in Fig. 3, embodies a central vertical web 14 and opposed horizontal arms 15 and 15' normal to the top and bottom ends thereof. When the strip is used in. a roadway, the arms are disposed transverse the axis thereof and arranged in the manner as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. When the strip is used in a building, the arm 15 may be formed with a divergent end portion 16 to accommodate anchorage thereof in the vertical wall (Figs. 1 and 2). The free edge of the arm 15 terminates with opposed arcuate webs 17 of the general appearance, in cross section of an anchor, while the other arm 15 or the edge of the portion 16 terminates in an upwardly directed right angle flange 18.

In the construction of a building, Fig. 1, the waterstop 13 is mounted in the concrete form with the vertical web 14 disposed in aligned relation to the axis of the seam 19 between the wall 11 and floor slab 12, the arm 15 protruding into void in which the floor is to be poured and the divergent arm portion 16 protruding into the cavity for the vertical wall 11. When the concrete is poured, the aggregate will envelop the flange 18 and arcuate webs 17 and thus provide a positive anchorage for the strip. The material from which the strips are formed is of a character which may be readily cemented or otherwise bonded in overlapped or abutting relation with each in situ, thus substantial economies may be realized by uniting strands of the material when long lineal strips are required, and in forming corner joints in buildings and similar concrete structures.

The flexible characteristics of the material atford, moreover, appreciable leeway in assembling the stop over and about reinforcing rods or wire screen panels in the concrete molds and eliminates the necessity of shearing or cutting the rods that lie in the path of the waterstop.

In the construction of a roadway, the waterstop is set in the forms with the vertical web 14 in the vertical axis of the gap or seam 20 between the contiguous slabs 21 and 22 and with the opposed arms 15 and 15 protruding into the slab mold cavities. When the concrete is poured, the strip will be anchored in the slabs in the same manner as the floor slab 12, heretofore described.

As illustrated in Fig. 5, when one of the slabs 21 or 22 settle or is elevated, flexure of the web 14 will occur in or about the junction of the arms 15 and 15 with the web, the web moving diagonally across the gap but preserving the water seal between the parts. Since the waterstop and expansion joint is formed of a resilient material, it will accommodate sufiicient elongation to accommodate normal separation of the parts without shearing, rupture or perforation.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the web 14 in the waterstop will flex and move diagonally across the gap when a change in the position of the road slabs or wall or floor occurs and will close and seal the gap and accommodate dimensional changes in the width thereof.

Although the foregoing description is necessarily of a detailed character, in order that the invention may be completely set forth, it: is to beunderstood thatfthe specific terminology is not intended-to be restrictive or confining, and that various rearrangements of parts and modifications of details may be resorted to Without der parting from the scope or spirit of the invention as herein I claimed.

What is claimed is:

Incombination with a pair of adjacent concrete slabs in a road pavement, the confronting ends of said slabs 'being disposed in spaced relation with each other and defining an expansion joint, a waterstop for said expansion joint comprising a strip of rubber, a central vertical section of said strip having a substantially planar configuration and being disposedin parallel relation with the confronting end walls of said slabs, an integral horizontal flange extending from the bottom edge and outwardly of one side face of said vertical section, a rib n. nd f s d an Said fla nd rib i bedded in theend portion of one of said slabs, a second integral horizontal flange extending from the top edge and outwardly of the side face opposite said one side face of said vertical section, a rib on the end of said second flange, said second flange and its rib being embedded in the end portion of the other of said slabs, and said second flange entering its slab at a position vertically higher than said first flange, whereby said vertical section of saidstrip will elongate to accommodate vertical and lateral movement of one slab with respect to the other.

References Cited in the file of this patent Carter May 29, 19 51 

